1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relates to containers useful for shipping and handling a plurality of devices, and in particular devices such as air bearing sliders used in magnetic storage systems.
2. Description of Related Art
A magnetic storage system typically includes one or more magnetic disks with at least one data recording surface having a plurality of concentric tracks for storing data. A spindle motor and spindle motor controller rotate the disk(s) at a selected rotations per minute (rpm) such that at least one read/write transducer or "head" per recording surface can read data from or write data to each recording surface. The data read or written from each recording surface is processed by a read/write channel. The transducer is supported by an air bearing slider which has a top surface attached to an actuator assembly via a suspension, and a bottom surface having an air bearing design of a desired configuration to provide favorable flying height characteristics. During the operation of the magnetic storage device, the air bearing slider is positioned in close proximity above the desired data track by an actuator assembly. The movement of the actuator assembly above the disk surface is controlled by a servo system.
In magnetic recording technology, it is continually desired to improve the areal density at which information can be recorded and reliably read. Because the recording density of a magnetic storage system is limited by the distance between the transducer and the recording surface of the disk, it is generally desirably to design an air bearing slider to "fly" as closely as possible to the recording surface of the disk while avoiding physical impact with the disk. Smaller spacings, or "flying heights" allow the transducer to distinguish between the magnetic fields emanating from closely spaced regions on the disk.
Lower flying heights may require air bearing sliders having reduced dimensions. Many sliders today are referred to as nano sliders and are on the order of approximately 2 mm.times.1.5 mm.times.0.45 mm. However, newer generations of sliders may be referred to as pico sliders and are often approximately 33% the size of nano sliders. For example, a pico slider may have dimensions of approximately 1.5 mm.times.1.0 mm.times.0.3 mm. As the dimensions of the sliders are reduced, the containers used to ship and handle these devices are downsized accordingly.
FIGS. 1A-B illustrate a conventional one-piece shipping tube 100 for shipping and handling air bearing sliders. Shipping tube 100 includes an inverted T-slot that extends the entire length 101 of shipping tube 100. The air bearing sliders are stored in the wide portion 110a of T-slot 110. The wide portion 110a may be referred to as the channel. Neck regions 102 and 104 define the narrow portion 110b of T-slot 110. The sliders are stored in the T-slot such that the air bearing design of the slider may be partially viewed through neck regions 102 and 104. The narrow neck regions 102 and 104 of the shipping tube 100 are used to contain the sliders within the shipping tube 100.
One drawback of the prior art shipping tube 100 is that as the industry develops smaller sliders it becomes more difficult to manufacture and machine shipping tube 100. More specifically, the T-slot becomes more difficult to extrude, particularly around the neck regions 102 and 104. Furthermore, as the dimensions of the blind surfaces 112a and 112b are reduced, they become even more difficult to clean. Particles or debris not removed from blind surfaces 112a and 112b may eventually get on the sliders stored in shipping tube 100 contaminating and adversely affecting the performance of the magnetic storage system at the head-to-disk interface. Additionally, neck regions 102 and 104 obscure the visibility of the device stored in channel 110a.